Mail-box.



G. E. GLASS.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION funn nu. 12, 1914.

1,128,969. Patented Feb. 1e, 1915.

2 SEBETS-BHEET l.

C. E. GLASS.

MAIL Box.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, .1.914

1,128,969. Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

2 SBEETSMSHBBT 2.

e I tax.

aiseful AImprovements in Mail-(Boxes, .which the follovvi-n ycarrying doors opening into the `coverings of dierent thicknes s.

"amargas: agences, onderne, runners.

Limes.

T0 @Nukem/#may concern citizen of the V'United 'States-"residing at' Cairo, inthe oimty of Alexanderand State of Lllinois,. have invented certain lnew am;

o is a specification.

This invention re etes to. mail boxes and contemplates a box i designed to be lpositioned vbetween the inner and-outerwal-ls of a building and-faccessible from both the insideand the outside of the building, the invention being particularly adapted for use in private residences.

The 'primary object ofthe-invention is to provide .a AInail box of the above described characte capable ofradjustment both lon itudinall vand transversely to theendthatt e width and `length of the box' may be varied to suit'different Walls as well as to conform to .the spacingof the studding of said Walls. A further object of the invention is to provide a mail box having diagonally disposed fopenings, such openings Y being arranged-bn opposite sides ofthe box adjacent theends thereof,-one of said openings communicating with the inside of the house and the other with the outside of the house. -A Afurther object of the invention is to provide a mail box having slidable caps box, such caps being adjustable to conprmto wall A further 'object of the linnention is to iprovide a mail box so construcbd as to give an alarm yor warning uponxth openingY .of

' the box from the exterior ofthe building in rig. 2. Fig

which-the box is positioned. And a sti-ll fun ther object of 'this invention is :to improve the construction and increase the eiiciency of devices of Vthe above described character.

.Wi-th these and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully-described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically pointed out -in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of` my imtbie parts thereof dinally sectional View showing the box in position withina wall. Fig. 3 is a transl.

verse sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of ranged rupon the outerdoor of the box. p-Eig.

l`one of the door caps. Fi

matic viewshowing the a arm system used .screws being received in 'of the wall facings 4 is a detailed ;plan Aview show ing'the catch and electricalconneetions ar- -ipecica'den of Letters Bat-ent.

{Falt-exited Febli, 1915.

Application tiled muiy 12, 1914. Serial No. 811,656.

5 is a perspective viewshowng the'inside of 6 is-a'diagramin connection with my invention, the vlatches being in perspective.

Corresponding and- `likeparts are referred to in the followin description and indicated in all the views o the drawingsbythe same reference characters.

My improved imail box -is designed to be vsupported between the inner and outer faces y of the wall1of a buildingand is designed to be conveniently locatedas, -for instance, near the front door -of'the build-ing.

Referring to 'the dra-wings, in which l have illustrated -the preferred lembodiment lthe numeral y10 designates of my invention, the body portion of the `mail boxwhich is preferably inade xin four sections slidable one upon thoother and which are arranged in diagonally disposed .-pairs, one pair being designatedA 11 and other .pair 12. AThese (sections are .preferably formed from-*suitable vsheet'metaland-each `includes side walls, a bottomwall and one end wa-lLthe-sections of each pair being' identical. #The .sections are assembled as illustrated :in Fig. 1 of the drawings `vriththeir free edges over-lapping and are desi ed to telescopeone upon the other. As willb'e readiiy obvious, the body rtion of the box may tbe, l*in this Way, ad- ]uted yboth in width and length, 'to accommodate thebox to walls wherein the spacing isgdifferentbetween the inner and outer faces thereof as well as towalls wherein the spac- -ing offthe studding is dilerent. The over-x lapping-edges of theseveral sections may be secured vby small screws designated 13, said slots 14 formed into said sections.

. In Fig. 2 of the drawings -have -illusl trabed the box in position within a wall, 15

designating the outer face of the Wall and Y6 designating -the inner face of the wall Asshown, the body portionfof the box is ex tended to 4fit snugly between the inner faces 15 and 16, 'similar adjustment of the box dinally so that 1the body portion 10 vthereof may be receivedbetween the studding des1gnoted 17 .1 Apertures 18 are preferably formed in the side walls of the. sections 11' being effected longituand 12, said apertures-notfonly preventing Vdirt from collecting within the body portion of the boxibut-ailowingthe passage of sir between-'the' of the building.

. signed to engage a flange v s1de ot a face plate 23.

One wall 19 of each of the sections 11 is eut away adjacent the outer corner of thc section to provide an opening 20, there being a laterally disposed and out\\"ardly extending llangel formed on tht` wall 1i) adjacent to said opening, said flange being de- 22 formed on one The flange 22 is designed to surround the opening 2U, bearing against the adjacent side walls of each ot the sections 1l and forming with the plate a closure for the opening 20 ot each of the sections 11. The caps .24 are each adjustable upon the sections 11, the portion of the flange 2.2 of each cap bearing against the flange 2.1, being cut away to allow for the movement of the cap. In this way the caps may be adjusted upon the body portion '10 of the box to accommodate wall facings of varied thicknesses so that one face plate 23 will lie flush with the outer face of the wall while the other face plate is disposed flush with the inner face ot the. wall. Each overlapping flange Z2 may be secured to the contiguous wall of the adjacent section 11 in any suitable manner as by small screws as shown.

Each plate 23 is provided with a door opening and carries a suitable door 25, the said doors swinging in opposite directions. lt may here be further noted that in constructing the improved mail box as above described` the openings in the box are disposed adjacent the opposite longitudinal ends thereof thus making it diiicult for anyone tampering with the box to reach one door through the other door opening to disturb the electrical connection.

Each door 25 is provided with a. suitable sliding catch 26 mounted in U shaped guides 27 which are laterally bent adjacent their extremities and secured to the inner faces of the plates 23, a similar guide Q8 being secured to the inner face of the door. Each latch Q6 is provided with a stem 29 which extends through the slot 30 formed in each of the face plates in a head and being adapted to operate the latch Q6 in each instance.

ln order to notify the occupants of the house in which the mail box is placed that the postman has deposited mail within the box, l have provided a suitable alarm system. Accordingly, I have arranged upon tin` inner faces of the plates 23 adjacent each catch 2G spring contacts 3l each of which is secured at one extremity to the tare of the adjacent plate 2? by a screw 3Q, said screw serving as a binding post. The outer extremities ol th'e contacts ill are longitudinally bowed to extend outwardly from the adjacent face of each of the. plates and it is to be here noted that the said contacts 31 are reverscly disposed.

Arranged upon the innerac-es of the plates Q3 said stem terminating,

93 adjacent the, outer extremities of the contacts Bl are binding posts 33 and arranged upon each catch 26 is a laterally extending longitudinally bowed arm 3l adapted to bear against the adjacent spring contact 31.

A wire R5 connects one of the contacts 233 with a bell con\enicntly shown at 36, a wire 3i' leads from the. opposite side of the bell to a battery, a wire 3S leads from the battery to the contact 33 arranged adjacentthe inner door and a wire nl0 connects the inner and outer spring contacts 31.

lj`rom the above description in connection with .the accomj'iarrying drawings the operation of the alarm system which I employ in connection with my improved mail box will be obvious. The inner door of the box being closed, the circuit at this point will be completed by the spring contact 31 which is held against the inner contact 33 by the arm Iii carried by the inner catch 2G. lVhen the outer door is opened, the outer arm 3l will pressI the, outer contact' 31 intovengagenient with' the outer contact 33 thus conipleting the circuit and ringing the bell. lty will `therefore be seen that when the outer catch is operated to open the outer door, the. circuit will be completed and the bell will ring. It for any reason the postulan wishes to call an occupant of the house to the mail box. the bell will continue to ring so long as the outer door is left open and as soon as the inner door is opened, thel circuit will, ol' course, be broken. It will )therefore be seen, that l provide a very simple and ellieient structure for the purpose set forth such as may be adjusted to lit various walls and such as may be readily manufactured and put upon the market. The invention can, of course, be produced in various sizes and can be positioned within the walls of residences without marring the appearance ot' the building. Attention is further called to the fact that thc ,sections forming the body portion ot' my improved box are intel'- changeahle. Thus, the sections l1 may be positioned opposite each other, in which position the closures carried by the said sections will be opposite@l disposed. with the sections l'l also arranged opposite each other. ln thus arranging the sections, as just above, described. one of the sections 11 as well as one of the sections 12 will, of course., be lreversed from the position shown in liig. 1 of the drawings. This inter cli-.ingeability ot the sections of my im proved box is a @ry important feature of advantage since it'makes the box adaptable to eontorm to wall constructions, under a great variety of circumstances.

lhiving thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A. device of the character described including a tody portion formed in sections, the free edges of said sections overlapping and slidable upon eachother, the sections being arranged in diagonally .disposed pairs and one pair of said sections being formed with openings. and closuresforl said open-- in gs. 2. A device of the character described including a body portion formed in sections arranged `in' pairs and slidably mounted upon each other, one pair of sections being provided with openings, and closures 'for said openings.'

3. A device of the character described including a body. portion formed in sections arranged in pairs, the free edges of said sections overlapping, -one pair of* sections having openings formed 'therein adjacentoppositel longitudinal ends of the body portion, a laterally disposed flange formed on each of'said sections adjacent said openings, and closures for the openings, each of said closnres including a face plate having a lat,

Y for said openings, said closures each including a faceplate, a door'hingedlv connected to said plate, and ,a latch carried by vthe plate and engaging the door.

5. A device of the character described including a. body portion formed Iin sections Iarranged in pairs, said sections having their free edges overlapping and being slidably mounted upon each other, diagonally oppoJ site sections being identical and one pair of said sections being formed with openings, anda closure for each of said openings.

6. A device of the character described including la body portion formed in sections arranged in pairs and slidably mounted 'upon each other, the free edges of said sections overlapping and one pair of said tions being formed with openings. laterally extending'flanges formed on said pair of 'sections` and closures for said openings, each of1 said closures including Aa face plate formed with a laterally extending flange,

one portion of which iscut-away and d1sposed to engage the flange formed `on the adacent section.

7. A deviceof the character described including a plurality of interchangeable telescopic sections arranged in pairs and coniuiunicating with each other, each of said sections'having one open side and end, and certain of said sections being provided with openings, and closures for said openings.

ln testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES .E AGLASS. p.. 8.]

'itnesses l J. F. C. Bannnmc,

MioxoNNE COMINGs. 

